


Elderflower Couron

by DumplingWhisperer



Category: Disco Elysium (Video Game)
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, Queer Solidarity & Karaoke, Queer Themes, just some good ol fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24169081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumplingWhisperer/pseuds/DumplingWhisperer
Summary: Judit has her head in the clouds.
Relationships: Kim Kitsuragi & Judit Minot
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	Elderflower Couron

It was Thursday night and even without a major breakthrough to celebrate, Jean had herded the team to La Petite Chanson for after work drinks. He was likely just preempting the Friday night happy hour clamouring and Judit was thankful for it. She didn’t want to cram herself into a loud bar on the one evening she had other plans.

Judit liked her job, _loved_ it even. But the one thing it made next to impossible was dating. Her last relationship fell apart even before she joined the academy and her attempts had only gone downhill from there. Joining the RCM was ‘a curse on your love life’ the saying went and she was beginning to see the truth in that. And yet. Somehow she found herself head over heels for someone she only met in passing every other morning and miraculously that someone _liked her back._

Just when she had been trying to kick the habit of buying fresh pastries, which her RCM salary didn’t technically allow, her favourite tiny bakery had hired _her_. Judit didn’t know if it was the beautiful, freckled face or the sharp gaze she was fixed with whenever she ordered - or tried to order without stumbling all over her words - or maybe the incredibly toned arms, from all the dough kneading no doubt.

It wasn’t like her to fall so hard for a fleeting connection during her morning commute, but she had and it must have been obvious. One morning she found a note with a phone number among her canelé and bienenstich order. Things had picked up from there.

Judit willed her mind into the present in which Chester and Mack were practically dragging Lieutenant Kitsuragi to the bar and Jean anxiously trailed after Harry. At least it wouldn’t be her shadowing Harry’s drink orders this time. They had still to find a sober bar anywhere in Jamrock.

She absentmindedly ordered an Elderflower Couron while dodging Chester enthusiastically explaining the secret cop menu to their new transfer. Harry was already beelining for the karaoke selection and Jean had picked the best free booth to keep an eye on him. Judit decided to avoid crossing into his line of sight and took the adjacent booth. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

Their first date was tomorrow evening. It had taken them long enough to find any overlap in freetime - Suarni worked more than one job - and now Judit hadn’t even decided where to take her. She liked dancing well enough, but the prospect of going to a club after a solid week of 11 hour shifts? She couldn’t stomach it. Surely there’d be plenty to do on a Friday night in Jamrock, but she’d not been out much since her appointment to the 41st. What else had Suarni said she liked? Galleries, but those would be closed. Cafés likewise. Walks? At night time in Jamrock? Not the healthiest of ideas. Judit didn’t know what had possessed her to insist on surprising her. It probably had something to do with her pinning, dark gaze that turned Judit’s thoughts to mush.  
She sighed in frustration. If she asked the others all she’d get would be cop bars and she’d prefer to leave those to work outings. Besides. Coming out at her all-male macho workplace? Not the best idea.

“Apologies if I’m interrupting, but you seem distracted today. Is everything okay?”

Lieutenant Kitsuragi’s voice ripped Judit out of her thoughts. Apparently he had shaken off his self-appointed caretakers and was hovering by the seat opposite her. She hastily gestured for him to take a seat in the booth.

“Oh! Uhm, I’m fine, really.” Then she remembered that she didn’t want to stonewall her senior colleague on the first night out with the squad and rushed to add, “Sorry that I haven’t been… exactly on top of things today.”

“It’s fine.” The lieutenant replied and Judit knew it must have been him who had covered for her lost report form earlier. God, she really had her head in the clouds, didn’t she? She felt her face heat up. 

“Are you settling in well? The commute into Jamrock must be taxing,” Judit tried a light topic to distract her straying thoughts.

“It’s not so bad. Driving in is easy enough - as for the evenings, we work so late that the rush hour dies down by the time I’m on the road,” he replied smoothly, picking up Judit’s unimaginative small talk like it was a lifeline.

Silence settled over them, underscored by Jean and Harry haggling over the karaoke selection. Ltn. Kitsuragi sipped his glass of whiskey. Judit weighed her options. It would be good to build some rapport, wouldn’t it? Besides, they were all off shift and C-Wing wasn’t known for leaving personal affairs at home. She could trim the truth a bit.

With her eyes firmly on her drink it she said, “Well, actually, there is this- this person? And we’re going out - or will tomorrow, except I have no idea where to take- where we’ll go, because how does one even find things to do with a case load like ours? But I really don’t want to mess this up. With them or at work.” She grimaced. _How do you even talk about this without sounding like a grade schooler?_

“Ah. I see,” there was a definite pause after his words.

_You go, Judit! Embarrass the new lieutenant with your miserable work-life-balance!_

He continued, “Khm. I appreciate that dating while also being an RCM officer is… challenging even at the best of times. It does tend to monopolize your life.”

Judit was sure they were both trying very hard to ignore Harry belting his heart out to the Ostentatious Orchestra.

“So you’re saying it’s hopeless?” Judit tried hard to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She really did want this to work. But what if she was holding her back, dragging her into a relationship where she would always be second best to the RCM? Judit had worked so hard to join the force, but she wasn’t sure that this was a sacrifice she was ready to make.

“Oh, I don’t think so. As far as I’ve heard Captain Pryce has been happily married for years. Though I try to stay out of other people’s affairs - I’m sure if you asked around you’ll hear a lot of different experiences.” He pauses. “In the wider precinct, I mean.”

Harry had passed the torch to Jean who had picked a much more sedate song for his performance. Mack and Chester jeered from their places at the bar. Judit didn’t think comparing notes with her straight colleagues would do her any good. 

“I did hear that about the captain too. But I’m not sure he’d volunteer any date ideas.” This earned her a quiet chuckle from the lieutenant. “Besides, I’m not sure our coworkers’ advice would be… applicable, exactly.” _Don’t keep digging this hole, Judit._ “What I mean is- our, ah, team activities might not be the best fit. My person- my crush is more of a quiet person, one might say.” Judit involuntarily pulled a face at her childish phrasing. 

The lieutenant fixed her with an assessing look. Judit squirmed in her seat. He seemed to come to a decision and leaned forward almost imperceptibly. “If they’re the quiet type and work hours are a problem, I know a cinema on Rue de Saint-Martyn that doesn’t open until ten in the evening. I used to take a boyfriend there. It’s a bit… underground one might say.”

_Excuse me, what?_

Judit wondered what her face was doing before she managed to croak out, “What- what kind of movies does it show?” She was extremely aware of where everyone in the room was yet tried really hard to only focus on the lieutenant.

“Well. How do you feel about subtitles?” He replied, as if this was the same casual conversation they were having before.

“They’re neat! I mean, that makes it... interesting,” Judit took a deep breath, chancing a glance at the room. Still singing karaoke, still jeering at karaoke, the other patrons were busy with themselves. No one was paying them any attention. “I might be able to impress her with that.”

When she looked back at Kim she could see he was smiling very slightly.

“If you’re lucky. They don’t publish the program in advance - you might end up with an arthouse rendition of _L’Épreuve de Dorian Sinclair_ with an all dog cast.” He looked caught in the memory. “Though I suppose that has its admirers, too.”

Judit smiled. Whatever she had expected to get from this conversation, it hadn’t been this. It wasn’t a half bad date idea, either. “It sounds worth a try. Thank you.” She meant it.

She weighed her odds. “Are you still taking someone to that cinema?”

He nearly choked on his drink. “Ah, not presently, no. I’m afraid I’m not a good example at reconciling my work and my private life.”

“Kim!” Harry’s voice carried over the crowd. “It’s your turn at the mic!”

Kim raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure the stage is quite my thing.”

“You best give up lieutenant. He’ll _insist_ ,” Judit whispered to him. Her first team outing hadn’t been any less embarrassing. All she could remember were hazy details about singing Itsy-Bitsy Spider as the squad cheered her on. It had taken all night and a not inconsiderable amount of alcohol for her to work up the courage.

As if on cue Chester and Mack blocked their exits from the booth. “Damn right,” Chester said. “Everyone has to go through the humiliation ritual.”

“It’s team building,” Mack added smugly.

“Kim, please, it’s _tradition_ ,” Harry chimed in.

Kim opened and closed his mouth, clearly trying to think of a way out of this situation. He looked over to Judit with a hint of desperation in his eyes. She felt for him.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll back you up!"

**Author's Note:**

> I saw bi Judit around and the truth looked upon me.
> 
> Judit singing Itsy-Bitsy Spider is from aiineslin's excellent Judit-centric fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21558874


End file.
